Resistance and Triumph - Spring 2025 Concert

On May 3 and May 4, 2025, Grace Chorale of Brooklyn's spring 2025 concert, RESISTANCE AND TRIUMPH, featured the Brooklyn premiere of Robert Nathaniel Dett’s The Ordering of Moses, a seminal 20th-century American choral/orchestral work. The concert also included three African American spirituals, beginning with Go Down Moses, followed by Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel? and Roll, Jordan Roll, both arranged by Courtney Carey.

The full program can be seen here. Photos and video performance to be posted.

Robert Nathaniel Dett, a Black Canadian-American composer, completed The Ordering of Moses in 1932, crafting a piece reflecting African American musical identity while remaining universally “classical.” The oratorio narrates the Exodus story, symbolizing a transformation: triumph over adversity. The premiere, a national broadcast on NBC radio, was likely the first network broadcast of a major choral work by an African American. Three-quarters of the way through, the network stopped the broadcast, citing “previous commitments.” Some have suggested this was a concession to callers’ objections because the network was playing music by a Black composer.

Soloists
Soprano: Michelle Trovato
Mezzo-Soprano: Patrice Eaton
Tenor: Noah Stewart
Baritone: Kenneth Overton